Between Dreams and Reality
by Yuuki Imai
Summary: It was a simple deal. All Sakura had to do was pretend to be engaged to Syaoran. Simple. But Sakura finds herself slowly falling in love with him. And every time she realizes it, she's constantly reminded that the engagement's just pretend. Just a dream.
1. First Kiss

**A/N: I'm back again with another story :D**

**And my pen name isn't Fate94 anymore :D It is now officially Yuuki Imai ;)**

**I just couldn't get the idea for the story out of my mind so I decided to start writing it and see what happens.**

**There will be some parts that might confuse you (Sakura's inner voice), but please be patient in trying to understand it. I will try my best to explain them in the latter parts of the story. (Sakura is not mentally impaired.)**

**R&R! I don't accept flames ;) Only constructive criticism :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**.:: Chapter One : First Kiss ::.  
**

* * *

**:: Daily Gossip ::**

**Li Xiao Lang : To Be Engaged (?)  
**by Tsuki Hanaki

Resident heartthrob and heir to  
the Li fortune, Li Xiao Lang has been  
placed under the guardianship of his  
Aunt Ming, four days after the death  
of his beloved mother, Yelan,  
and shortly after the discovery  
of her will.

Recently, a very trustworthy source has  
informed me, Tsuki Hanaki, of something  
very surprising in Li Yelan's will.

"In Li Yelan's will, it is said that  
her only son, Xiao Lang, is to be  
engaged. There are more details  
about it, but I couldn't remember what  
they were," says my source.

In light of this. . . _(continued, pg. 6)_

Sakura put down her copy of _Kiss_ magazine and stretched her arms. "What boring news," she yawned, looking around the empty classroom.

Sunlight was pouring through the windows, bright and warm, with some dust dancing inside the golden rays. The door was ajar, letting in a breeze or two. All of the chairs except Sakura's were tucked in their desks.

The brunette took a sideways glance at the clock. "Quarter to five," she whispered. _Darn it! Touya's going to get it when I get home_, thought Sakura. Her older brother had messed with her alarm clock again, which resulted with her coming to school early.

_So Syaoran's getting engaged,_ pondered Sakura, _must be to some snobby rich girl_.

Sakura rested her head in her arms and sighed, "Will wonders ever cease?"

—

"Hey, sleeping beauty! Wake up!"

"Wuh?" Sakura woke up with a start, looking around her.

"You fell asleep, Sakura," Daidouji Tomoyo, Sakura's best friend, sat down on the seat in front of her. "Were you reading this?" Tomoyo asked, holding up Sakura's copy of _Kiss_ magazine.

Sakura nodded, stretching out her arms. "Li's getting engaged? That's. . .surprising. Isn't he only sixteen?" Tomoyo glanced at the other side of the classroom, where a group of girls were busy giggling.

"Yeah. But he's practically royalty. Isn't that enough to be able to bypass the law?" Sakura raised her brows, as she, too, glanced over at the gaggle of girls. Tomoyo flipped through the pages of the magazine and slowly nodded.

"I'm going to go to the comfort room for a few, Tomoyo. I'll be back before class starts," said Sakura, sliding off her seat and making her way to the door. As she walked, she caught bits of the conversations that the group of girls were giggling about.

". . .he could be engaged to anybody. . ."

". . .a pity that it wasn't. . ."

". . .wonder when it's going to be. . ."

_Is that all those girls can talk about?_ Sakura shook her head disbelievingly.

_Bamm!_

There was a flurry of papers and a loud _thud_ as Sakura fell to the floor. "Gah," she groaned, rubbing her head and looking up to see dark reddish brown eyes staring at her. She blinked, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted up by the arm.

"Sheesh. Watch where you're going, will you?" said the voice of Li Syaoran as Sakura muttered an apology, bent down, and helped the boy pick up the papers that flew out of his bag.

Sighing, Sakura stood up, fixing the papers into a neat pile and then handing them over to Syaoran. "There you go," said Sakura. But as Syaoran took the papers from her, she saw what was written on the topmost sheet of paper in the pile. Both curious and surprised, Sakura held on to the pile and said, "Hold on. What's this?"

Syaoran pulled the papers free of Sakura's grip and shoved them down his bag. "None of your business, Kinomoto," he said, pushing past her and heading for his seat. Sakura stuck her tongue out at his back as he got engulfed by the flock of gossiping girls.

"Stupid and impolite jerk," grumbled Sakura as she ran to the bathroom. Sliding — and almost falling — Sakura entered the comfort room and opened a faucet in one of the sinks. "Those papers he had with him, though. . ." Sakura's voice trailed off as she splashed some cold water on her face.

_Look at you_, Sakura's inner voice spat at her. _Drown yourself in worry, will you? Next thing you know, you're checked into the mental hospital_.

Sakura shook the voice away.

—

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Classroom 3-C was in chaos, as all the students rushed out of the room, causing the door to be blocked for a few minutes.

"_Ne_, Sakura, I can't walk home with you today. Mom's picking me up." Tomoyo looked harassed, Sakura observed. But then, didn't all the high school students look harassed nowadays?

Sakura nodded. "It's okay. I'll call you later?" she asked and Tomoyo nodded. Sakura watched as Tomoyo ran towards the door and gave Sakura a wave before disappearing out of it. Sakura sighed and continued packing her things. _Is your world falling apart already?_ The voice inside her kept whispering. "Damn it, I know I have problems so stop rubbing it in," said Sakura, gritting her teeth as she shoved the last of her things in her bag.

Hitching her bag over her shoulder, Sakura silently left the empty classroom. Some of their classmates were still out in the corridor, endlessly chattering away. "See you, Kinomoto," said some of them as Sakura walked past, giving them a smile in response.

It took her less than five minutes to reach the school courtyard, which was empty but for a few lingering students here and there, hidden under the shades of trees. Sakura looked around as a warm afternoon wind whipped past her, blowing strands of her brown hair into her face.

As the wind stopped, Sakura made her way down the steps and towards the side of the school's main building. Once there, she leaned against the wall and dropped her bag beside the small rose bush. "What a hectic day," yawned Sakura as she stretched.

Then, suddenly, Syaoran appeared on the other side of the building, just across from where Sakura was. "Syaoran? What the heck are you doing out here?" Surprised, Sakura stood up straight and scrutinized him with narrowed eyes. He looked as if he had been running around the whole city.

Without a word he walked towards her, a determined look on his face. Upon reaching her, he slammed his hand, palm-first, on the part of the wall on her left. He used his other hand to grab her wrist. "Oi! What do you think you're doing?" Sakura said indignantly. Syaoran moved closer to her, and took a quick look to his right. Sakura noticed that his eyes widened for a moment and then his gaze turned on her.

"You better let g—"

Sakura was cut off as Syaoran pressed his mouth to hers. Sakura's eyes widened. Time froze for a few seconds as if to relish the moment.

_His lips are so cold_.

That was the first thing that came into her mind. She could feel the coldness of Syaoran's lips against her warm ones. She could taste them too, Syaoran's sweet lips. For a moment, she felt as if she enjoyed it.

But only for a moment.

"Li-bocchama?"

She felt herself go red in the face as Syaoran lifted his head and muttered a curse. "Kawashima, you _baka_!" he hissed, looking at the tall, young-faced man who looked as if he just happened to wander in.

The man turned red, and stammered, "_Gomenasai_, Li-bocchama! I-I didn't know. . .forgive me. . . ." he bowed clumsily and marched off.

The moment the man named Kawashima disappeared, Syaoran let go of Sakura and looked to see if Kawashima was still there. Sakura finally came to her senses and slapped him hard on the cheek.

"Who. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. _Are_?" she said lividly, glaring daggers at him as he rubbed his cheek.

"This isn't the place to talk, right now—"

"Don't tell me that this isn't the place to talk! You appear out of nowhere, pin me to the wall and with no consent did you kiss me! You're going to tell me what the heck is going on, and Kami-sama forbid, that I don't strangle—mmff!" Sakura was silenced by Syaoran putting his hand over her mouth.

"Don't shout! I'll explain everything, but only if you calm down and come with me," hissed Syaoran, looking around.

Sakura bit his hand. Hard. "Fine. As long as you stay three feet away from me and that we travel where there are witnesses." Syaoran nodded distractedly as he bit his lip in pain, for his hand was now bleeding where Sakura bit it.

—

It took them less than half an hour to get to Tomoeda Park. Sakura had been glancing behind them at Kawashima, who followed them like a shadow.

Syaoran led Sakura near a fountain, where he sat down at its edge and gestured for her to do so as well. Reluctantly, Sakura sat down a foot away from him.

"I have to apologize for awhile ago. It was rude of me," said Syaoran, looking at her straight in the eyes, his voice clearly showing that he didn't mean what he just said. Sakura merely scoffed. "Well, here's the thing: You might've heard that I'm to be engaged to someone" — Sakura nodded — "Well, my mother didn't really leave in her will who I was to be engaged to, so the family lawyer said that it was all up to me." He paused, staring at the clear water in the fountain.

"I didn't want to get engaged, but I have no choice. If I don't choose someone soon, my Aunt Ming" — and here he shuddered — "will choose for me. I talked to my friend's father about this whole scenario, and he told me that he could be able to get me out of this snag. The downside is that it'll take a while and—"

"I don't get where this is going," interrupted Sakura.

"I'm getting there," said Syaoran, irritably. The sun cast its light on him, making him look angelic. "To make a long story short, I want you to be my fiancée until my friend's father can get me out of the whole engagement thing." Seeing the incredulous look on Sakura's face, he added, "But it's not for nothing! I have a deal for you."

Sakura raised her brow. "What kind of deal?"

"I know about how all your family's money was stolen."

There was silence. Sakura's eyes grew wide.

Syaoran continued in his smug tone, "If you help me out with my problem, I'll help you and your family out with yours. Pretend to be my fiancée until whenever it takes for me to clear this engagement business, and at that time when it's settled that I don't need to be engaged anymore, I will pay you thrice as much as what your family lost." He looked into her eyes, his seriousness making her blush a bit.

"If you look at it in a different point of view, you could say that you're getting the better half of the bargain," said Syaoran, now playing with a leaf he picked up from the water, looking bored.

Sakura quietly thought the situation over. _It's not like you'd lose anything_, encouraged the voice inside of her that usually tormented her. _Go for it! Accept his proposal! That way, you wouldn't feel so worthless to your family for not helping them. They'd be grateful to you! Go on, do it! Say yes!_

"I-I'll do it. I accept your offer," said Sakura, breathing very deeply.

"You will?" Syaoran's eyes widened with disbelief.

"No funny business, or I will have your head, understand?"

"You think I'd try something on _you_?" Syaoran said, raising his brow.

Sakura shook her head. Inside, she was half-relieved that Syaoran was back to his usual arrogant self, and half-annoyed at her stupidity.

_What have I gotten myself into?  
_

* * *

**A/N: Waah. That last part was tricky to write. **

**What do you think about it? Remember, I do not — I repeat, **_**do not **_**— accept flames. Constructive criticism is the best kind of review to get. Why insult a person for the crappiness of their writing, when you could help them improve?**

**So, review, please ;)**

**I talk too much, I know -laughs at herself-**

**I actually promised myself that I'd post this story up when I was already finished with chapters two and three. . .I'm so not good at keeping my self-promises. Shame on me. :(**

**Adieu!**

**-Yuuki :3**


	2. Misconception

**A/N: Whee! A new chapter :D**

**Thank you for reviewing, I really appreciated it :)**

**So many unanswered questions from the last chapter, I know ;) I plan to answer some in this chapter and save the others for future chapters. (See how well planned I am? XD) I aimed to. . .confuse you guys a bit, but it'll all unravel sooner or later :D**

**Special thanks to Denise (a.k.a. DMPMG) for her support and well-appreciated criticism. Love you, hon. :D**

**I shall do a P.O.V in this chapter XD**

**I know very little about cars, so please forgive me :D**

**One last thing, I'm sorry that this took a while to be updated, my schedule's been a bit hectic.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS. Sad, isn't it?**

* * *

**.:: Chapter Two : Misconception ::.**

* * *

_What have I gotten myself into?_

Sakura watched distractedly as Syaoran rose from the fountain. "Good. We'll get to the rest of the details tomorrow," he said. "But for now, we better get you home."

"Eh?" Sakura looked up at the darkening sky. She'd forgotten how late it was getting. "What do you mean '_we_ better get you home'? I can walk home by myself," said Sakura, still dazed from earlier.

Syaoran shook his head. "It's the least I can do after stealing your _first_ kiss," he said mockingly, pulling her along as he walked towards the street outside the gates of the park, where a black limousine was parked.

Sakura ogled the shiny car, stunned, before wrenching her hand out of Syaoran's grip. "What made you think that that was my first kiss? And who gave _you_ the right to come out of nowhere and kiss me?" Sakura's tone was cutting — amazingly, Syaoran didn't even flinch. Instead, he smirked at her.

He looked around to make sure that his bodyguard, Kawashima, was far away and out of earshot before saying, "I was being followed, if you haven't noticed."

Sakura pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "That still doesn't give you the right to have kissed me."

Syaoran sighed. "I'll explain in the car," he said.

In the limousine, Sakura sat in front of Syaoran, looking around uncomfortably. Kawashima took the front seat next to the driver. The pairs were separated by a thick, black-tinted window that Syaoran demanded be closed for some privacy.

"So, would you like to tell me now?" Sakura said, clutching her schoolbag.

Syaoran nodded. "My Aunt Ming is fully aware of how. . .stubborn I am. She ordered Kawashima to watch my every move. She wanted to be sure that I actually _love_ someone before I got engaged to that person — I swear, she's read too much romance novels." He spoke the last part with disgust.

"Hold on, I'm a bit confused," Sakura said, glancing towards the thick black window.

Syaoran stared at her and pondered on something for a moment. "Before I decided to pick you as my fiancée," he finally spoke. "I managed to half-convince my aunt that I was deeply in love with you. But I could see that she had her doubts about it. Then, I found out from one of the maids that she had ordered Kawashima to follow me around in secret to make sure that what I'd said about you was true.

"Luckily, awhile ago, I managed to escape Kawashima to look for you. I managed to find you, and it was in the nick of time that I did what I had to do to fool him." He stared at her with his brilliantly chocolate-colored eyes. Sakura noticed how he didn't mention the word 'kiss.'

"So those papers were. . ." said Sakura, a look of dawning comprehension on her face.

"Those papers contained information on some girls — possible fiancées — that I had one of my more trustworthy bodyguards obtain for me." Syaoran looked smug.

Sakura's eye twitched a bit. "Would you mind telling me why then, out of all the other girls in that pile of _research_, you chose me?" Her brow furrowed.

Syaoran smirked. "I chose you because I thought it would be. . .entertaining."

"If you're going to treat me like some kind of puppet. . ." Sakura said threateningly as Syaoran raised his hands up in defense.

"Calm down. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Just — never mind," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sakura scowled and looked away.

"Listen, I know you don't like being in this situation either, but all we can do for now is to endure it. Heck, I'm surprised that you're not backing out. You could if you want to, you know." His gaze was on her, his eyes scanning her features for a hint of some doubt.

Sakura shook her head, her hair swayed with the motion. "No. I've decided to take the risk. I'm not just doing it for you anyway," she said, her voice just a little louder than a whisper.

The car screeched as it drifted to a stop. "You're here," Syaoran announced.

Sakura made to reach for the handle of the door when she felt something tug at her blouse. "Don't worry about your father, I'll be talking to him about this. . .Bye, Sakura," he said, leaning closer to kiss her cheek.

Sakura unwillingly blushed. "Since when did you start calling me Sakura?" she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Syaoran grinned. "For the same reason you call me by my first name. Or have you forgotten about it already?"

Confused, Sakura opened her mouth to speak but wasn't able to as the door opened beside her. "We'll talk again tomorrow," Syaoran winked and Sakura stepped out of the car. The chauffer held the door open and nodded as soon as she exited the car.

Sakura had just reached the gate of her house when she heard the sound of the car driving away. She glanced sideways to watch it disappear down the road.

—

_**SAKURA'S P.O.V**_

Aunt Ming.

You will never feel the same way ever again after meeting her.

After sneaking out of the house early in the morning to head off for school, I found Syaoran leaning against the wall of the gate. I raised my brow and wondered what reason he could probably have for being here so early.

"Yo," he greeted as I walked towards him.

I managed a smile.

His look turned calculating and then broke into a grin. "How was last night?" Ugh, he just _had_ to ask.

I quickly recalled what had happened last evening, when Syaoran called to "discuss" our deal with my dad. Thinking of the right words to say, I mumbled, "It could've been worse."

He laughed. "You're dad was okay, his tone didn't sound furious to me — more like amused. Your brother on the other hand. . .well, you're going to need to calm him down."

I scowled. How could he take things so lightly? This was _Touya_ we were talking about. But, then again, Syaoran didn't exactly know how Touya was like.

He gestured towards the road, the one opposite of the path I usually take going to school. "Shall we?"

I hesitated. "I go the other way, it's faster," I told him.

He smirked. "But we're not going to school today," he said. "No, today I'm bringing you to see my Aunt Ming — she's been _dying_ to meet you." He rolled his eyes.

"She wants to meet me _this_ early in the morning?" I said. I could hear the incredulous tone in my voice.

He didn't say anything but just grabbed my hand and pulled me as he walked down the road. I sighed. I was too sleepy to argue so I let him pull me along.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, I remembered something. "Hey, about yesterday, what did you mean by 'have you forgotten about it already?' when I asked about that whole first name basis thing." I tilted my head, even though I knew he couldn't see me.

He turned his head around for a second and then looked back at the sidewalk. "You're pretty forgetful, aren't you?" I could feel the smirk in his voice.

"You're not answering my question."

Shaking his head, probably from trying to stifle a laugh, he said, "You'll remember, hopefully. But, until then, I won't tell you." He looked at me and winked. Smugness was etched all over his face. My eye twitched slightly.

I let my thoughts wander as we continued to walk. Why _did_ I call Syaoran by his first name? It was weird, not knowing why I called him Syaoran. There must be something wrong with my mind, or at least I must be having some kind of mental block. I frowned, my stupidity rate must be increasing. . .

_Bamm!_

"Ow!" I had walked into Syaoran. Hey, it wasn't my fault, he was the one who suddenly stopped. As I staggered back, he turned to face me.

"You really have to stop walking into me." He was annoyed. I grinned sheepishly back in reply.

I noticed that he had stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, where a metallic blue car was parked. I stared at it. "Is that yours?" I said in amazement.

"Yup. Bought it last week," Syaoran said.

I tilted my head. "But aren't you supposed to be eighteen to be able to drive?"

He raised his brows, his facial expression that of amusement, and took a step closer to me, cupping my chin with his hand. "I'm an exception to that law, my dear." I could feel his warm breath. It tickled my nose. He let go and opened the passenger seat. "Let's go, Sakura. We haven't got much time. Aunt Ming is a patron of punctuality."

Without a word, I got in. The leather upholstery felt so smooth on my skin that I couldn't help but be in awe. "Sweet ride, Syaoran."

He grinned as he closed the door and walked to the other side of the car, opening the door and getting into the driver's seat. "To the mansion!" he said in a childish way. He started the car and stepped on the ignition, the car screeched forward.

—

A slight nudge on my shoulder woke me up with a start.

"Sakura, we're here. Wake up, Sakura."

I opened my eyes and everything looked blurry for a second and then slowly came into focus. I remembered where I was and why I was here. "We're here?" I said. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yeah. Hurry, we can't afford to keep Aunt Ming waiting." Syaoran held his hand out to help me out of the car. I sleepily took it and groggily climbed out of my seat. I looked around.

We were in a huge courtyard. In the middle of it was an elegant fountain, surrounded by trimmed grass and wildflowers. Farther away from the fountain, there was a wrought iron gate. It was intricately designed so that in the middle, it spelled out "Li." To the south of the gate was the Li Mansion.

The mansion was beautiful. There was an inexplicable grandeur to it.

Syaoran led the way, opening the double doors for me as he went. My eyes grew wide at the scene before me.

We stood in the middle of the foyer, a big and open space. There were some doors lined up a few feet apart on the walls to my right and left. In the middle of the wall that was in front of me was a majestic grand staircase with two smaller stairs leading off from its sides.

It was only when my gaze lingered on a mirror hanging on one of the walls that I realized my mouth was slightly hanging open. I quickly closed it, hoping that Syaoran didn't notice.

"Amazing, huh?" Syaoran said, gesturing around the foyer. "It gets boring after a while, though."

I smiled.

"Xiao Lang?" The shrill voice that spoke echoed in the foyer. I involuntarily cringed.

Syaoran stiffened. "Aunt Ming," he said through clenched teeth that I supposed was him trying to smile.

My eyes turned to a thin, skeleton-like woman. She was standing on the last step of the stairs, her body ruler-straight.

I bowed automatically as she approached us.

"You must be the Kinomoto girl my nephew has been telling me about." I saw Aunt Ming's feet stop in front of me, and I looked up. I gasped.

Li Ming was an epitome of beauty. The slightly graying strands of hair looked like silver against her silky ebony hair. Her eyes were shaped like almonds, the blue of the irises sparkled against the pale cream complexion of her skin. There was something about those blue eyes of hers, though, that seemed to frighten me.

She looked radiant in the pale blue kimono that she was wearing.

Aunt Ming's eyebrow curved up gracefully. "Is there anything wrong, dear?" Her voice was beautiful, fit for an angel.

I flushed. "N-no," I stammered.

"Well, let's get somewhere more comfortable, shall we? We can't just keep standing here." She gestured with long and perfectly slender fingers towards an arched entryway to the left.

Syaoran smiled at me reassuringly and took my hand as he followed his aunt into the living room.

We settled ourselves on a couch as Aunt Ming sat on a plush velvet sofa.

Aunt Ming looked at me with her blue eyes, and only then did I notice it — her sparkling blue eyes were cold, like frozen ice.

She cleared her throat. "Xiao Lang, I'd like you to know that I am astounded that you've found yourself a fiancée. But I want you to know that my offer is always open. . . ." She looked at Syaoran hopefully.

He grunted. "No, thanks, Aunt Ming."

The woman's face fell a bit. "Oh well." She returned her icy gaze on me. "Sakura, is it?"

I nodded.

"Well, Sakura, we have a lot to prepare for. We'll have to plan the wedding, which, of course, shall take place in two years, when you are of legal age; I'll have to teach you the ways of the Li women, how to act, how to greet people of status, that sort of thing. . ." Her angel voice trailed off as she thought of the other things.

I opened my mouth to speak but Syaoran beat me to it. "Auntie, don't you think that we should take this a little bit at a time?" He reasoned.

Aunt Ming gazed at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Yes, yes. We wouldn't want to overwork her." I thought I saw her roll her eyes.

We spent the rest of the day discussing the engagement agreements and the some of the fiancée duties I'd have to perform, eating lunch only when a maid called us, then returning to the living room for Aunt Ming to teach me the basics of being engaged to a Li.

"Xiao Lang, dear, you never told me what happened to that Tsuki Hanaki," said Aunt Ming after lecturing me on how to act when dealing with the media.

Tsuki Hanaki. The name ringed a bell. . .Oh yeah! That was the person who wrote that article about Syaoran's engagement. . . .

Syaoran leaned back on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. "I got her fired. Stupid woman should learn how to mind her own business," he said scathingly.

"I'm glad you took some initiative for once. Well, to the last of today's discussion," Syaoran's aunt turned to me once more. "Sakura, my dear, from now on you should probably take residence at the mansion. It'd be better for the public appearance. I shall make the arrangements with your father later in the evening."

I stared at her in horror. Living in the Li Estate?

Living with Li Syaoran?

I felt dizzy for a moment.

My life just got a _whole_ lot messier.

"Is there a problem Sakura?"

I shook my head. "But I have to ask, is that really necessary?" I mumbled.

Syaoran had covered my mouth before I could even finish. "No, Aunt Ming, she's cool with it. Can we go now? I'll have to drive her back to her house."

Aunt Ming frowned. "Okay. But I want to speak with Sakura for a moment. _Alone_."

Syaoran looked ready to retort, but instead thought better of it and removed his hand from my mouth and leaned close to my ear. "Be careful of what you say to her, she can get really nasty," he whispered and then got up and left.

Aunt Ming stood up as well and I ungracefully got of the couch.

Her angel face darkened the moment Syaoran disappeared behind the entryway.

"Sakura, I want you to know that I am very displeased with my nephew's choice in women." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "A girl whose family has gone bankrupt, save for some of the bank loans!" My eye twitched. She didn't even dare to lower her voice.

She walked closer to me, her face etched with disgust. "I have very high expectations of you, Sakura. Any shame you bring on the Li family name will mean severe punishments and the dishonor of your family. Not to mention your public humiliation. Am I making myself clear?"

I gulped. The goddess of perpetual kindness I thought she'd be turned out to be a two-faced bitch.

"Well, Sakura?"

I nodded. She pushed past me and left the living room without another word.

I followed stiffly, my head bent down.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" I heard Syaoran's steps as he walked towards me. "Aunt Ming looked really smug — which could mean nothing good. What did she say?"

I looked up at him with what I thought would be an expression of indifference. "Basically, she told me to be a good little fiancée or else." I shrugged.

His mouth turned into a thin line as he pressed his lips together. "Typical," he muttered.

* * *

**A/N: So I'll end it here. There's actually a bit more, but I decided to put it in the next chapter. . .**

**This is one of the longest chapters I have ever written. Scratch that, this **_**is**_** the longest chapter I've ever written, so far.**

**Hope you review ;) I'd love it if you'd help me improve my writing skills. . .I had a headache after reading this for the umpteenth time just to edit it and see if there were any typos.**

**Adieu!**

**-Yuuki :3**


	3. Memory

**A/N: -trumpets- Chapter three! Whoot! XD**

**Ha! I knew that there were typos in the last chapter. . .hopefully you guys didn't notice them -whistles-**

**Sorry for updating a bit late, maybe you should know my updates aren't regular due to the fact that I have school and such. Busy, busy, busy. But I can tell you that I usually update on the weekends :D**

**I hate my habit of having really long Author's Notes :| But, just to tell you, P. are in the normal point of view (I think it's third person. . .) unless stated otherwise. So, yeah. Forgive the babbling author :D**

**DISCLAIMER: CLAMP rightfully owns CardCaptor Sakura. Although I wish it was mine. Actually, I wish that Touya was mine, but then we can't always get what we want. Sigh.**

* * *

**.:: Chapter Three : Memory ::.**

* * *

"That's it. The deal is off — off, I tell you!"

Sakura stormed out of the mansion as soon as Syaoran had opened the door.

"Aww, c'mon Sakura. Just because the deity of supreme evilness threatened you of complete humiliation and dishonor, doesn't mean it's. . ." Syaoran paused to mull over something. "Actually, it _is_ very terrible that she even threatened you at all. But, please, Sakura, you can't give up _that_ easily!" He caught up with her as she tried to open the passenger-side door of his car, banging her head lightly on the window when she realized that it was locked.

Sakura glared at him, her eyes locked on his fiery brown eyes. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell your aunt the truth about the whole deal!" Her voice shook as she spoke.

Syaoran sighed. "Seriously, Sakura, don't take the threat like she meant it. She's a Li. The members of the Li family are supposed to be evil — sadistic, even," he said, in what he assumed was a soothing tone.

Sakura's eye twitched, as it always did when she was irritated or appalled, but there was a slight curve on the edge of her lips. "Just get me home," she muttered.

"Yes, ma'm," Syaoran chuckled.

—

As Syaoran rounded past the corner and parked smoothly in front of Sakura's house, his phone rang. "Stay here for a minute," he ordered Sakura as he flipped the phone open and pressed a button.

Sakura slumped lower into her seat, crossing her arms. She looked over at Syaoran and listened to his side of the conversation.

"What do you mean, Kawashima?" He sounded tense, waiting for the reply.

There was silence for a couple of minutes before Syaoran spoke again. "I understand. I'll talk to you later," he said before flipping the phone closed.

Sakura looked at him expectantly.

He grimaced. "Change of plans. We're going to your friend's — Tomoyo's — house."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

The brunette boy sighed and, while starting up the car and stepping on the gas, launched into a fast explanation. "Kawashima called me to say that information on me finding a fiancée has been leaked to the media. If I had dropped you off at your house and left, you and your family would have been attacked by reporters."

"Okay. One, wouldn't the media still go to my house even if I wasn't there? Two, why Tomoyo's house and how do you know where she lives?" Sakura said, thinking about how complicated everything's been ever since she accepted to pretend to be Syaoran's fiancée.

"The media wouldn't bother as much once they've found out that you're not there," he said, voice tense. "I remember Tomoyo's address because of that one time when we had a project and did it there."

"Oh," was all Sakura replied.

It took them about thirty minutes of silence, save for the discreet humming of the car, to reach the Daidouji Estate, which was smaller, yet just as grand as the Li Estate.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed in delight the moment Sakura had stepped out of the car.

Sakura grinned. "Hey, Tomoyo."

"Yo, mind if I hide Sakura here for a while?" Syaoran said, appearing beside Sakura and wrapping his arm across her shoulder.

The raven-haired girl tilted her head. "Did they find out already?"

Sakura looked back and forth between her best friend and her "fiancé," confused.

The two looked at her before saying, in unison, "Get in the house."

Sakura stood still for a second before speaking, "Tomoyo. . .?"

"Hmm?" Tomoyo replied.

"I-is that blood on your finger?"

—

_**SYAORAN'S P.O.V**_

"Sakura? Yoo-hoo, Sakura," I said, fanning the unconscious girl's face with my hand.

My legs were stiff from carrying her from where she fell on the porch all the way to Tomoyo's room.

The latter kneeled beside me and touched Sakura's cheek. "She doesn't seem to be running a fever," she said.

I looked at her. "Of course not! She just fainted because she saw a tiny drop of blood. Who gets a fever out of that?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "Sakura," she answered. "She's much more fragile than what your 'research' might have shown."

I stared at Sakura's face. "A _little_ drop of blood can do that to her? Unbelievable. How did you even get that cut on your finger?"

The girl grinned. "I was trying to make dinner and all of a sudden a bird swoops over my head."

I felt my eyes widen. "Where the heck did the bird come from?"

She shrugged.

We remained silent for a while as I continued to fan Sakura.

"You know, you never told me why you chose her — and I mean the _real_ reason why," Tomoyo scowled.

I furrowed my brow. "And when exactly did I tell you that I chose her?"

She grinned. "Well, I'm a Daidouji and you're a Li. We have an inseparable connection."

Ah. The Daidouji-Li link. Typical of her to bring this up. Daidoujis and Lis have never been the best of friends but because of their bloodline — I rolled my eyes as I thought this — they've formed a union that connects them as, in a very weird way, relatives.

Meaning: The Daidouji family would know about all the on-goings in the Li family and vice versa.

"You two were friends once, weren't you?" Tomoyo whispered.

I was shaken out of my train of thought. "Eh?"

"Oh, nothing. Let's see if cold water will wake her up." The girl got up and disappeared behind a door, leaving me with Sakura, who was still unconscious on Tomoyo's couch.

My gaze lingered on Sakura's brown hair and my mind kept repeating what Tomoyo had said, _You two were friends once, weren't you?_

_You two were friends once. . ._

_Were friends. . ._

_Friends. . ._

I smiled at the memory.

Yeah, we were friends once. Once.

I could still remember those times when we were about five years old and we'd always go to Penguin Park and play there until our parents forced us to go home. Tomoyo was always with us, too. . .

Sakura would always trip. That was funny.

Our childhood went on like this until we were ten. But, then, every time we'd go and play, I'd always get distracted by this girl. Sakura would always get annoyed that I always stood or sat there, staring at the girl. What could I do? The girl was so pretty.

And then, one day, after I got myself to stop looking at the girl to go to the bathroom, Sakura did something stupid.

She climbed all the way up to the top of the monkey bars and stood there, only a bar under each foot to support her. "Syaoran! Look at what I can—" she had shouted at me. . .before falling and landing on the sand.

I looked deeper into the face of the present-day Sakura. You wouldn't have guessed that she fell down six feet, head-first, on the ground a couple of years ago.

"She's going to be alright," the doctor had said. "The worst that could happen is that she may have a slight case of amnesia and not remember some events from the past. . ."

The worst happened, all right.

She forgot a lot of things.

The fall.

The days at the park.

Me.

I shook my head. Sheesh, I never knew that that would still bother me. It's not like I like her or anything. I'm just using her to get out of a messed up ordeal.

_Bonk._

"Ow! Damn it, Tomoyo! Why'd you hit me?" I cried, rubbing my head.

Tomoyo handed me a towel and said, "I've been saying your name for the last couple of minutes and you just stare off into space! Hold that, will you?" She poured a glass of cold water on Sakura's face.

Sakura spluttered and groggily rose up from the couch where I placed her.

I stood up and grinned. "Well, now that you're awake, I better go."

The two girls looked at me.

"Sakura, listen. You _have _to stay here. Kawashima'll probably pick you up later on. Or you could spend the night here — it's a Saturday tomorrow, anyway." I made sure that what I said sounded more like an order than a request.

Sakura and Tomoyo continued to stare at me.

"What?" I asked.

Tomoyo smiled and said, "Nothing."

* * *

**A/N: And so that is why Sakura cannot remember why she calls Syaoran by his first name -serious look-**

**So what do you think? If there are any typos, please tell me :D**

**This chapter is shorter than the previous ones, but if I had written more, I'd be revealing too much :)**

**Don't forget to review XD Mr. Blue Button over there on the bottom left corner gets lonely :(**

**Adieu!**

**-Yuuki :3**


	4. Engagement Party

**A/N: The site's remodeled itself :O I was all ". . ." when I saw the new look of XD**

**Time to clear up a few things. . .**

**Some of you guys thought that Syaoran was in love with Sakura — are you so sure? Just to quote Syaoran's thought: "**_It's not like I like her or anything._**"**

**But it's up to you how you look at it. I'm not even sure myself how this story will go :D (But I do have the main points figured out.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS or any of its characters. Only Zen, Naomi, Aunt Ming, Kawashima, and all other OCs are mine.**

**Enjoy ;)**

* * *

**.:: Chapter Four : Engagement Party ::.**

* * *

A sly grin spread over Daidouji Tomoyo's face.

She crept along the edge of her bed, pillow clutched in her hand, and silently pulled aside the blanket to reveal her best friend's crumpled up figure. Stifling the urge to giggle, she raised the pillow and brought it down on Sakura.

The brunette jolted awake, eyes wide. "I DIDN'T DO IT!" was her sudden and spontaneous response.

Unable to hold back any longer, Tomoyo laughed out loud.

Sakura, finally coming to her senses, blinked rapidly and yawned. "I'm sure that that was _very_ funny."

Tomoyo gained control of herself and sat down beside Sakura. "What are our plans for today, then? Since your fiancé has so nicely left you in my hands?" she said, her voice flooded with enthusiasm.

The other girl frowned and tilted her head, remembering the events of the previous day. "Hmm," she drawled. After pondering on it for a few seconds, she turned to face Tomoyo again and grinned. "Let's go shopping."

Tomoyo grinned back in response and hopped out of the room, shouting, "I'll wait for you downstairs while you get ready!"

Nodding at no one in particular, Sakura edged off the bed and glanced at the clock. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. Still smiling, she dragged herself towards the bathroom to take a cold shower.

A couple of minutes later, she came down the stairs, dressed and ready, smiling as she reached the foyer. She clutched her bag in one hand and brushed the remaining wet parts of her hair with the other. "Shall we go?" Sakura said, spotting Tomoyo by the door.

The raven-haired girl smiled and replied, "To the mall!"

—

Upon arriving at the mall, Sakura made a mental note to enjoy the trip and to forget about the whole engagement deal, at least, while she was with Tomoyo.

They spent the first few hours of their time window shopping, while Sakura bought from food kiosks and ate ravenously — seeing as how she had skipped breakfast and lunch, this didn't surprise Tomoyo in the least.

And of course, as was her habit, Tomoyo recorded every moment — from the arrival at the mall to Sakura tripping over her shoe laces — with her ever reliable video camera.

"What's happening over there?" Sakura looked up from a pile of books that she was skimming through as Tomoyo nudged her and pointed at the store across them.

A crowd had formed around the entrance of the clothing store, blocking access in and out.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura hooked Tomoyo's arm in hers and hauled her off, away from the crowd and said, "Let's go check out the other bookstore."

Wriggling her arm free, Tomoyo shook her head. "I suddenly have the urge to pee. Wait for me here, Sakura. Don't you dare go walking around by yourself, understand?"

Sakura grinned. "Yes, mother."

Rolling her eyes, Tomoyo ran towards the nearest comfort room. _Which is three floors down_, Sakura thought. _And which means I can roam around for a few minutes. . ._

Doing just that, she instantly thought of going to check out what the reason behind the crowd was. As she neared it, she realized that it had grown bigger.

"Whoa," she breathed. "Maybe this wasn't one of my best ideas." Cursing inwardly at herself for being so fickle, she turned around and — _bamm!_

She had bumped into someone and landed on the ground.

Rubbing her head, she wondered to herself if there was ever a day that she _didn't_ bump into someone.

"Oh, damn! Here, let me help you."

Looking up to see who had spoken, Sakura's eyes fell upon a pair of gray eyes that sparkled despite its color. Blinking, she took the hand that was being offered to her and was pulled up.

"Thanks," Sakura meekly said. She looked at the person whom she had bumped into in full, taking every detail in. _He looks like he's about my age_, she pondered as she stared.

The boy was tall — taller than Syaoran, she noticed — and pretty thin. But he had a well-built body, despite the skinniness. He had ebony hair that rippled silver under the fluorescent lights. His lips were curved in a warm smile, revealing dimples at each end.

Sakura willed herself not to blush.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," she apologized, bowing her head.

The boy smiled and shook his head. "It's been said that girls often fall for me — I never took it seriously in its literal sense until just now," he chuckled.

Giggling, Sakura bit her lip as she felt blood rush to her cheeks.

"I'm Zen, by the way," Zen said, his grin revealing gloriously white teeth.

Sakura nodded timidly. "Sakura," she managed to say.

"That's a beautiful name." Zen's smile trapped Sakura. She couldn't think clearly of anything as his sparkling gaze kept her spellbound.

"Th-thanks," Sakura stammered, the words stumbling out of her mouth.

The boy looked around and the smile disappeared from his lips. "Oh great," he muttered, turning back to face Sakura. "I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Sakura." He then sped off before Sakura got a chance to say goodbye.

"Who was that guy? He was cute." Sakura stiffened as she felt fingers grip her shoulder lightly. "Oh, did I scare you?" Tomoyo's giggle startled Sakura.

"Tomoyo! I thought you went to the comfort room!" Sakura gasped.

Tomoyo frowned. "I did — and I told you not to wander off."

Sakura flushed. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Just wanted to check what the crowd was about."

"Whatever. That guy you were talking to, he looks familiar. Who is he?" Tomoyo raised her brow questioningly.

The brunette bit her lip and stared dreamily into space. "His name's Zen. Tomoyo, slap me, I think I'm dreaming — I think I'm in love."

Tomoyo grimaced and sighed. "Congratulations, Sakura. But let me remind you of something: You are _engaged_. You can't go around falling in love with some random guy you just met! Even if your engagement with Li is just a cover up for him." She whispered the last part in case any unwanted ears were listening in on their conversation.

Sakura's eyes widened just a bit and she tilted her head. She didn't recall ever telling Tomoyo about the engagement being fake. "How do you know about that?"

Just as Tomoyo opened her mouth to reply, Sakura's phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She held up a hand as she reached for her phone. "Hold on, Tomoyo," she said. The caller was unknown, so only the number appeared. Sakura clicked "answer," and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" Sakura said.

"Sakura, dear." Sakura's mouth fell open as she recognized the angelic, yet shrill voice that spoke. "This is your Aunt Ming."

"Aunt Ming? Is there something wrong?"

"No, dear. I called to ask where you've been," Aunt Ming chided.

Hoping she would sound indifferent and unaffected by Aunt Ming's cold tone, Sakura replied, "I'm out with a friend, Aunt Ming."

"Oh, I see. Well, I want you to be back here at the mansion before seven, do you understand? I've arranged tonight to be yours and Syaoran's engagement party, and I invited the family and some close friends over. I don't want them to think that my nephew's fiancée is some bad-mannered girl who has no sophistication." The biting tone in Aunt Ming's voice made Sakura cringe.

Sakura breathed in deeply to remain calm. "I understand, Aunt Ming. I'll be there before seven," she said through clenched teeth.

"Good girl, Sakura." There was a click and Aunt Ming had hung up.

Stuffing her phone back into her pocket, Sakura groaned in agitation. "What time is it, Tomoyo?" she growled.

Tomoyo stepped back, uneasy because of the livid expression distorting Sakura's face. "I-it's quarter to seven. Why? What's wrong, Sakura?"

"That bitch," Sakura said, her fist clenching. She grabbed Tomoyo and dragged her as she began to run. "How does she expect me to get there in less than fifteen minutes? She's out of her mind!"

—

Sakura lay on a queen-sized bed — she was in one of the rooms in the Li Estate — staring at the pale pink ceiling, ignoring Aunt Ming as she lectured her on how women with dignity would never run how many miles just to keep schedule.

". . .Furthermore, on occasions that you absolutely must — and only when you _absolutely need to_ — run, you should make sure, by all means necessary, that you are presentable upon arrival. Is that clear?"

Sakura nodded, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Aunt Ming scowled. "Whenever I ask you a question, Sakura, I expect an answer."

Sakura sat up straight, curling her fingers around the comforter. "Yes, Aunt Ming," she replied scathingly through a forced smile.

Aunt Ming humphed, turning to an elderly maid, who was standing silently by the door. "Miyu, get her ready." She then exited the room, leaving Sakura alone with the maid.

Miyu, the maid, looked at Sakura and bowed. "Kinomoto-san, I suggest that you take a quick bath before getting dressed," she said softly, gesturing at a door within the room.

Sakura scanned the wrinkled features of Miyu. The maid was a petite woman, her body plump. Miyu's face, though lined with wrinkles, showed years of wisdom and days spent laughing.

_Even though she looks old,_ Sakura mused, _she seems really friendly_.

Flashing Miyu a smile, she walked towards the bathroom.

—

Muscles relaxed and senses unperturbed, Sakura let herself and her inner tribulations to be washed away by the warm water of the bathtub.

"Mm," she sighed in comfort, letting her thoughts drift.

She recalled the events from earlier, when she had bumped into Zen. She grinned.

Then her thoughts flitted to Aunt Ming's disapproving glare when she had arrived just on time in front of the gate of the mansion. "You're on time, but you look filthy!" she had cried. Tomoyo had gone back to her house, leaving Sakura to face the wicked witch of the mansion alone.

_Seriously_, Sakura thought, _Aunt Ming's going to drive me loopy one day_.

She decided to think about something else — anything that would keep her from thinking about Aunt Ming. She tried not to think about what Aunt Ming had told her earlier, that her father had sent her things to the mansion. That, from this night onwards, she would have to live under the same roof as Syaoran and the witch herself.

Sakura's pondering was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Kinomoto-san, are you almost done?" Miyu called.

Sakura reflexively got out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself. "Yeah, Miyu. I'm coming out."

It felt weird to have someone fussing over you, Sakura thought as she sat on chair, her hair being brushed dry by Miyu.

"Are you uncomfortable, Kinomoto-san?" Miyu said, her soft voice reminding Sakura of a cool breeze during a hot day.

Sakura shook her head. "Not really, I'm just not used to all of this." She grinned sheepishly.

The maid laughed a quiet yet contagious laugh, continuing to brush Sakura's shoulder-length hair. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. You have beautiful hair," she added, now pulling the tresses back so that she could arrange it in a style suitable for the party.

After pinning the last stray lock of hair into place, Miyu told Sakura to stand up and try on the pale pink kimono that Aunt Ming had bought. Sakura stared at the kimono, scrutinizing the flower petal designs adorning it. "It's pretty," she commented.

While putting the kimono on, Sakura felt a chill run down her body. Miyu seemed to have noticed as well. "Nervous?" she said.

Sakura nodded, now looking herself over in the mirror as Miyu tied the obi around her waist.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, honey. Just be yourself. Besides, Syaoran-bocchama will be there." The maid grinned.

Sakura laughed dryly. "Yeah. Right. He's going to be there."

—

Syaoran waited for Sakura at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh, God, where is she?" he muttered restlessly to himself.

"You know, I can hear you from up here."

Startled, Syaoran looked up at the stairs. Sakura elegantly descended the steps and stopped when she was beside him. "Well, you look. . .different in that tux. Your tie's all messed up, though," She remarked, fixing the boy's black tie.

Syaoran slapped her hand off. "Just leave it alone. Let's go, Aunt Ming's going to throw a fit if we make her wait any longer," he muttered.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see."

Syaoran led Sakura through the backdoor and into the inner courtyard of the mansion. The brunette stared in awe at the arrangements made just for an engagement party. There were tables spread out across the courtyard and a long buffet table at one side. Guests came pouring in from another door "You've got to be kidding me," Sakura said, ignoring the smirk forming on Syaoran's lips.

Looking up at the darks sky glittering with stars, Syaoran muttered, "I just hope it rains. That way I won't have to endure this nonsense."

"Ah! Xiao Lang! Sakura!" Aunt Ming approached them.

"Aunt Ming," Syaoran said stiffly.

Aunt Ming smiled at her nephew. "I have a few guests that I'd like you to meet." She turned to look at Sakura. "Come along, now."

Aunt Ming led the two towards two guests who were sitting on one of the round tables, both of whom stood up as they saw her approach. "Naomi, Zen, this is my nephew, Xiao Lang, and his fiancée, Sakura," Aunt Ming said, gesturing to each one of them as she mentioned their names. "Xiao Lang, Sakura, these are the Zanshou siblings, Naomi and Zen."

"Pleasure," The girl, Naomi, said. Clearly, she wasn't interested in meeting them. She shook the hands of the two briefly before sitting back down on her seat, a bored expression on her face.

The boy, Zen, on the other hand, was the opposite. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Syaoran's hand. "Pleasure to meet you again, though," he added in a whisper only Sakura could have heard as he took her hand. She turned pink as she felt his lips brush across her knuckles. He sensed her awkward glance and let go.

Syaoran, oblivious to what had happened between Zen and Sakura, engaged the former in a conversation about things only boys could ever understand. Realizing she wouldn't be able to join them in their pleasantries, Sakura sat down on the empty chair beside Naomi and attempted to start her own conversation with her.

"So. . .you seem like you're having fun." Sakura smiled sardonically.

Naomi raised her brow as a wry smile stretched across her lips. "Yes, very." She rolled her eyes. "I find formal gatherings boring, nowadays."

Sakura giggled. "Same here. But I never liked them. I hate it when I have to dress up."

"Yes, it's tiring work." Naomi, her eyes sparkling just like her brothers, grinned. Her tone encouraged Sakura to maintain conversation.

Aunt Ming, completely forgotten by the four teenagers, strolled off to the other corners of the courtyard, greeting the guests as they passed by her. Music flowed from a group playing some classical instruments.

The woman couldn't help but cast a stern glance at her niece-in-law-to-be. The blush that appeared on Sakura's cheeks, as Zen had kissed her hand, did not escape her. She scowled, thinking that something wasn't right.

**

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another chapter finished XD Sakura's love-at-first-sight moment was so cliché. ;)**

**Sorry for the late update, though. (I had some technical problems and difficulties.) :D**

**Don't forget to review, okay?**

**Adieu for now!**

**-Yuuki :3**


	5. Unwanted Witness

**A/N: Another chapter :D This one's short.**

**Guys, I'm really sorry about the really long wait. I never knew how Hellish high school was :( I'll try updating sooner, since it's Christmas break.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CardCaptor Sakura.**

* * *

**.:: Chapter Five : Unwanted Witness ::.**

* * *

After hours of mingling and making conversation with the guests, Sakura plopped down beside Naomi once more and sighed, exhausted. "God, I hate parties."

Naomi giggled. "Good for you."

Sakura examined her companion's flushed cheeks and distant gaze. _Good Lord, she's drunk_, the brunette immediately thought. Another look at the stray blonde tresses falling onto Naomi's face clarified Sakura's guess.

She gazed around the courtyard, sneaking a look at the wall clock. It was almost midnight. She saw Syaoran and Zen sharing pleasantries with the other guests. "God, when will this end?" she said melodramatically.

Then an idea hit her. Since everybody was so busy talking with each other, she could sneak back into the mansion. And if anybody asked, she'd say she went to the bathroom — _I'm so ingenious_, she thought.

Standing up, Sakura crept towards the open door that led inside the house. Making sure she wasn't seen, she hurried off into one of the hallways. "Damn, I could get lost in here," she muttered.

"Who's there?" a voice echoed from behind her.

Startled, Sakura turned and opened the door nearest to her. "Is anyone there?" the voice said again, as Sakura rushed through the door and gently closed it.

_Click_.

"What the—" Sakura's eyes widened as she turned the knob. It didn't budge.

"Holy — I'm locked in!" she exclaimed under her breath.

She scrambled around in the dark in search for a switch. She was successful and light poured in from a lone fluorescent light on the ceiling. Sakura took in a deep breath as she realized that she was in a closet. A rather bigger-than-average-sized closet.

She walked around, sliding her fingers over the many pieces in the room. There were coats, shawls, scarves, some really old hats, and other common things that you'd find in a closet. But one thing stood out from the rest. A shiny, silver-colored notebook. Upon Sakura's closer examination, it was a diary.

She picked it up.

"Looks old," she muttered.

She skimmed through the pages and was immensely captivated by the neat and elegant strokes of the writing. She flipped back to the first page and sat down on an abandoned throw pillow in the corner of the closet. She started to read.

_Dear diary,_

_My grandmother once told me that I am able to hold power  
over my own life. But I guess she was wrong. Mother and  
Father have engaged me to someone. He is a complete and  
total stranger. I was outraged! I shouted and screamed and  
threw a tantrum. I'm only fifteen-years-old, for God's sake!_

_If my grandmother were still alive, she'd be on my side on  
that matter. She'd be telling Mother that no one in their right  
mind would ever betroth their daughter at such a young age.  
Much more so to a stranger!_

"_The boy is handsome and rich, he will provide you for your  
needs as we are not able to," Mother says._

"_You've always been reading those romance novels, don't you  
think that this would be such a fascinating plot twist in your  
life?" Father says._

_Yes, it would. Of course, it would. The only thing wrong with  
that is the fact that my life is not a silly romance novel! I re-  
fuse to be engaged to someone that I've never known in my  
life._

_I've heard rumors about my "fiancé." They say that he's an  
arrogant little brat who's been spoiled all his life and has no  
clue on what kindness is. And, usually, rumors in the  
neighborhood that I live in are true._

_How can my parents do this to me? Haven't I been good for  
the past fifteen years of my life?_

_Big brother says that I should stop being dramatic. I should  
just get over it, he says. Well, lucky for him, he's not being  
forced into marriage to someone three years older than he is._

_If I were the hopeless romantic type, I'd be ecstatic at the  
very thought of being married to a rich man. I'd be thinking  
of my life as one of those soap operas wherein I'd try to  
cope with my new life and slowly fall in love with the man  
in the end. Too bad I'm not on of those hopeless romantic  
types._

_Damn, I hear Mother coming._

Sakura slowly lowered the diary, her mouth slightly open. "This is shockingly coincidental," she breathed.

She turned the page and read the next entry.

_Dear diary,_

_I've realized how useless it is to keep on complaining about  
the engagement. Nobody would listen to me anyway. Why  
exhaust myself for something others deem as irrational  
childish behavior?_

_Mother took me to meet the guy earlier. He completely  
contradicted every rumor I've heard about him!_

_He was handsome, and his eyes were like bright turquoise!  
I think I regret saying all those things in my previous entry.  
I might actually be living in a romance novel after all._

_It still bothers me, though, that I'm going to be married to  
him in a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that there's some-  
thing really odd going on and that I'm soon to be part of it._

_It's getting really late; I think I'd better get to sleep. I'm going  
to be moving into my future husband's house tomorrow._

The entry was short, but Sakura could empathize with the writer, whoever she was.

"I think I'm going to keep this. . ." she pondered. After a few more minutes, she decided that it would be better to leave the diary here and come back for it later, when it would be safe.

She glanced at the door. "Open, will you?" she groaned.

Suddenly, as if her words had some strange power in them, the door creaked open. "Oh. My. God." Sakura said in disbelief.

"Sakura?"

Sakura stood up unsteadily. "Zen?" she breathed, walking towards the door.

_Crash!_

She landed head-first onto the beige carpet of the floor outside the door.

"Okay, it's either you were born like this — tripping a lot — or you just like falling into me." Zen's amused laughter filled the hallway.

Sakura blushed unwillingly, struggling to stand up. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Zen pushed himself up, helping Sakura as well. He suddenly looked at the end of the hallway. "Weird," he muttered. He looked back at her. "So, what's up?" He gestured at the closet door.

The pink tint on the brunette's cheeks deepened into a warm scarlet. "Uh. I got locked in," she said, avoiding his gaze.

The boy's laughter resounded in the hallway again. "I think we should head back to the courtyard. Your Aunt Ming might get mad at you if she realizes that you've gone missing."

Sakura nodded and followed him silently back to the courtyard. She didn't notice when he took a wary look at the other end of the hallway and frowned.

—

Aunt Ming was sitting between Naomi and Syaoran when the two arrived.

"Oh, there you are, Sakura," she drawled. "It's already one in the morning! Good heavens, we better put that ring on you before the guests leave; it's the thing they've been waiting for: To see the ring." Her tone was light, not normal for the woman.

_She must be drunk, too_, thought Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

She looked at Syaoran expectantly, pleading with her emerald eyes to make this quick.

As if reading her thoughts, Syaoran sighed and held Sakura's hand. "I'll try and make this as quick and painless as possible." He brought her to the middle of the courtyard. He spoke to Sakura in an undertone, "I'm really sorry you have to go through this, my family's whacked."

Sakura whispered back, "It's fine. Just hurry up and do whatever you have to do."

Syaoran cleared his throat and the entire din in the courtyard was hushed. It seemed to him like hundreds of pairs of eyes were boring into him. "Thank you, er, for attending today's celebration. Clearly all of you would like to go home and get some sleep" — laughter rumbled around the courtyard — "but we have one last thing to do before our dearest Aunt Ming will let you leave." Syaoran kneeled in front of Sakura.

Sakura blanched.

"Kinomoto Sakura, since you have agreed to be my fiancée and marry me when we are of legal age, I give you this ring as a token of my gratitude and affection," Syaoran said, all in one breath, all the while placing a lovely silver ring on the third finger of her left hand. "Thank you, everybody, for coming and witnessing this special day!" He held onto Sakura tightly and pulled her briskly back into the mansion.

"Your Aunt Ming's going to be furious," Sakura said, recovering from the quick event that happened just seconds ago. She took a glance at the courtyard and found everyone bewildered. The guests' expressions saying, _that's it?_

Syaoran gritted his teeth. "Not until she's sober again, though."

—

"Are you sure this is okay? To be snooping around like this?" a hoarse voice whispered.

A shrill, girlish voice hissed back in reply, "Will you shut up? This is a scandal waiting to happen, and I'm going to be the one who reveals it to the world!"

"But isn't this kind of private? That Li kid was the one who got you fired, Hanaki, remember that." The first voice said apprehensively.

Tsuki Hanaki walked by the rosebushes lining the Li Mansion's inner courtyard, careful to stick to the shadows. Even if she was heavily disguised, she made sure to be inconspicuous.

"Oh, I won't forget that. I just want to remind that little brat what _I'm_ capable of," she whispered.

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**A/N: Short, yes.**

**Forgot who Tsuki Hanaki was? Check out the first two chapters ;)**

**Again, sorry to those who waited a really long time! As I said: High school is Hell.**

**Advanced Merry Christmas to you all!**

**- Yuuki :3**


	6. Tactics

**A/N: Hey, guys :) I'm sorry for the really late update -gets shot- But yeah, I put this story on hiatus for a little while because I really needed a break from a lot of things.**

**If you want updates now and again, visit my LiveJournal (which I should be using more often now), a link to which can be found on my profile :) Or you could check out my profile and look for the updates/notices section.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CardCaptor Sakura.**

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**.:: Chapter Six : Tactics ::.**

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"Math homework: Done!" Sakura sighed, plopping down on the queen-sized bed.

It had been almost two months since she had taken residence in the Li Mansion, yet Sakura couldn't shake the feeling of being ill at ease. She still wasn't used to the maids waiting over her, the huge rooms, and the many corridors. The only comfort she took in this was that she spent most of the weekdays in school and avoided the menacing Aunt Ming.

Plus, just a few weeks ago, the Zanshou siblings — Naomi and Zen — were invited to stay in the Li Mansion for the rest of the duration of their stay in Japan.

"We decided to stay here awhile before going back to England," Naomi had said.

"We're going to be studying in the same school as you and Syaoran," Zen added, directing this at Sakura.

_Knock, knock, knock_.

The door opened slightly and a maid peered in. "Dinner's ready, Sakura-san."

Sakura jumped up and smiled. "Thanks, I'll be down in a second."

She made her way downstairs to the dining room at a leisurely rate. When she had arrived there, she sat herself beside Syaoran like she always did. Naomi looked up, her way of acknowledging Sakura's presence; Zen smiled at her and went back to poking his pasta with his fork.

"Where's Aunt Ming?" she asked, noticing the empty chair at the head of the table, as Syaoran passed her the bowl of noodles.

Syaoran shrugged. "I have no idea, but I'm glad; for once I can eat without listening to her snide comments every five minutes," he said in an undertone so that only Sakura could hear.

Sakura smiled widely, for she was almost always the object of Aunt Ming's vicious remarks. Up until recently, Sakura was under the impression that Li Ming was going to take any chance to make her look bad in the eyes of Syaoran. All her suspicions were proven to be true last night when the dragon lady herself made a mean observation of Sakura's choice of drink ("When given the choice of jasmine tea and milk tea, it is better to choose milk tea. It makes you seem much more sophisticated and not poorly educated.").

_What the hell is the difference?_ Sakura though, recalling that memory. _It's just tea for God's sake!_

"Did you hear about that girl who attempted to rescue all the frogs from the lab this morning?" Zen chuckled.

Naomi looked at her brother incredulously. "Someone was stupid enough to do that?"

Sakura giggled. "It was funny, actually. Reiko tried to climb in through the window when she realized that she couldn't get through the door. She kept on yelling something about frog abuse while she was at it."

"If you ask me," Syaoran interrupted, "that girl's not right in the head. I remember that she tried to strangle someone for kicking a stray cat."

Naomi choked on the orange juice she was drinking. "She's going to be one hell of an activist one day. I'm finished," she added, pushing away her plate.

"Finished? You haven't even eaten half of your food," said Zen.

Naomi glared at her brother. "I'm not hungry anymore. Besides, I have an essay to write." Without saying anything else, she left the room.

A maid timidly peered into the room shortly after Naomi had left. "Syaoran-bocchama, you have a visitor. I've left him to wait for you in the drawing room."

Sakura thought she saw a glimmer of surprise in Syaoran's brown eyes.

"I'll be right there. If you'll excuse me," he added politely, before leaving the room himself.

Sakura watched Syaoran's back as it disappeared from the entryway. She turned to face Zen but looked quickly away, cheeks burning crimson; Zen had been staring at her.

"So. . .uh. . .food's good," Sakura mumbled, making a feeble attempt to start a conversation.

Zen chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

An awkward silence followed Zen's reply in which Sakura prodded her food with her fork. She dared not look at him straight in the eye. She didn't know what was making her so uneasy; most of the time, she was so relaxed around Zen — but then again, that was when there were other people around.

Sakura made to reach for the salt shaker casually. "I was wondering, uh, how long you guys are planning to stay here in Japan."

"Are you getting bored of us already?" Zen raised his eyebrows, his lips curved into a smirk.

The brunette blushed, dropping the salt shaker. "No — I didn't — I mean —"

Zen laughed. "Relax, Sakura, I was only teasing. As for the duration of our stay here — I have no idea. See, we have some. . .business to attend to." He smiled.

"Oh really? What kind of business?"

Zen appraised Sakura with a calculating look, furrowing his brow as if measuring how much to tell her. "It's kind of personal, so forgive me if I don't tell you right now."

Sakura smiled meekly. "Oh, that's all right. Do you miss your home?"

The boy took a sip of his drink. "Kind of, but the change of scenery does me good."

It was Sakura's turn to laugh. "Change of scenery? You've only just been to a crummy Japanese high school and this mansion for the past few weeks!"

"Yes, that's true, but for the past twenty minutes I've been looking at one pretty Japanese girl who happened to be going to the aforementioned _crummy _Japanese high school."

Sakura's laughter turned into a choke. "Haha, very funny."

Zen frowned. "I'm not joking." His tone sounded so serious that it made Sakura stiffen. "What say you to showing me around? Since you think I'm not seeing enough of Tomoeda."

Three maids came in before Sakura had the chance to reply. "Syaoran-bocchama requests for your presence in the drawing room, Kinomoto-san," said the youngest of the lot, bowing respectfully in Sakura's direction.

The brunette looked at Zen, who smiled and jerked his head as if to say "go on." She stood up and left, heading toward the familiar door of the drawing room.

As she entered, her eyes fell upon a boy sitting comfortably on an armchair by the mantelpiece. He had short dark blue hair with matching dark blue eyes. Syaoran sat on a velvet sofa in front of him.

"Sakura," Syaoran greeted, "this is Hiiragizawa Eriol."

Sakura bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hiiragizawa-kun."

The boy looked at Sakura with an expression of curiosity. "Please, Sakura-san, call me Eriol," he said, smiling.

Syaoran gestured for Sakura to sit beside him. "Remember the friend I mentioned who would help me get out of the whole engagement ordeal?" he asked as she sat down.

She nodded.

"Well, this is him." Syaoran gestured pleasantly towards Eriol.

A wave of understanding washed over Sakura. "Please tell me that it's going to be all over soon." Sakura bored her eyes into Eriol's.

Eriol chuckled nervously, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Uhm, no. Sorry, Sakura-san, but it takes a while to sort these things out. My dad hasn't even gone through half of what—"

"Do you mean," Sakura interrupted, "that after two months, you've got nothing?"

"We've accomplished quite a lot, that's for sure! But, with the Li's reputation and family history. . .an engagement like this which has become tradition to do would require more than just two months to work on."

Sakura breathed deeply. How much longer would she have to be tied to this family? How much longer would she have to suffer Aunt Ming's wrath? "How long — how much longer will it take?"

Eriol furrowed his brows. "Usually, it would take about a year; but in your case, it might be a bit longer."

Sakura's mouth formed a line so thin it was in danger of disappearing.

—

Hours later, Syaoran sat in front of the desk in his room, staring at a pile of documents; Sakura had gone to bed in a raging temper shortly after learning that she would have to be engaged to him for probably more than a year; and Eriol had gone home after giving Syaoran the paperwork he was staring at now.

"Either you've made a teacher really angry to be given that thick a pile of homework, or you've developed a strange habit of staring at large piles of paper during three in the morning."

Syaoran gave a start, almost falling off his chair. He looked around to find the person who spoke so suddenly. "How'd you get in?" he gasped as Naomi materialized from a shadowy corner.

"Through the door, obviously," she said, raising her brows as if Syaoran failed to see what was right in front of him.

Syaoran was at a loss for words. "I — You — Door — OF COURSE YOU'D GET IN THROUGH THE DOOR—"

Naomi cut him off. "So why are you shouting like some maniac?"

The boy was taken aback. Why _was_ he yelling? "How did you get in without me noticing?"

"That's better. Well, you seemed engrossed in that pile over there" — Naomi pointed at the files on his desk — "and I didn't want to disturb you lest you'd throw me out, so I kind of. . .slipped in?"

"You _slipped in_?" Syaoran repeated, clenching his teeth.

Naomi sat down on the edge of his bed, taking her time. "Yes, that's what I said, didn't I?"

"Out," was the only word the boy was able to say.

"I'm quite comfy here, so I think I'll stay for a bit more." Naomi's mouth formed a faint smile.

Syaoran was on the verge of grabbing her and pushing her out of the room, but thought better of it. "What do you want?"

"You're as straightforward as always." Naomi stood up and approached Syaoran. She leaned so close to him that he could feel her warm breathe.

The boy stood his ground, trying to hide any sign of discomfort. "You're not answering my question."

Naomi wrapped her arms around Syaoran's neck and whispered softly into his ear. "I don't understand why you gave this all up for some common girl."

Syaoran pushed the girl off him; he was getting irritated. "If that's all you have to say, then I think it's time for you to leave."

"I never said I was done," Naomi said, grabbing hold of the boy's hand; his push had caused her to lose balance. "I forgot to mention how great a job you did in pretending that we've never met till the day of your engagement party."

Thoughts raging, but held to the spot by Naomi's hold on him, Syaoran had no idea what to do. Would it be safe to play along with whatever Naomi wanted or should he tell her to shut her mouth and leave him alone?

"And. . .I'm not entirely convinced that you actually do love that girl."

Syaoran glared at Naomi.

She smirked back at him. "I can see it in your eyes, Syaoran; you're not that hard to figure out. . ." She closed the gap between them and pressed her lips on his.

Syaoran was caught off guard. For a moment, he just stood there, his lips locked with Naomi's. Then, for a reason unknown to him, he was kissing her back. He was pulling her closer, making sure that there was absolutely no space in between him and her. _He was enjoying it_.

Naomi knotted her fingers in his unruly hair, securing him to her, as they took a moment to breathe. "If you loved her, you wouldn't have done that," she whispered.

"So you've seen through me. What are you planning to do now — tell my aunt?" Syaoran put his forehead against hers. He wasn't mad anymore, he was in a limbo between satisfaction and confusion. Kissing Naomi felt so right, but he knew it was wrong. What had gotten into him all of a sudden?

Naomi smirked as she looked into his deep, flaming eyes. "No. I'm going to make you change your mind; I'm still pretty ticked off that you chose some piece of filth to be your fiancée instead of me."

Syaoran traced the girl's lips with his thumb, caressing it gently. "You know, I almost chose you when my aunt told me that you were willing to take on the position of becoming my future wife."

"So why didn't you?" She stared at his lips.

He pushed her against the wall, making sure she had no way of escaping him. Something that she had said made him feel a twinge in his chest. "Because I remembered that there was nothing between us anymore. Our relationship like that ended months ago."

Naomi's fingers loosened themselves out of Syaoran's locks. "Please, walking away from everything because you couldn't understand one tiny little aspect of it is not called 'ending a relationship.' "

Syaoran laughed angrily and let her go, slumping down on his bed. "What would you call it then?"

"Cowardice."

The word seemed to ring out from every corner of the room even after Naomi had said it.

The boy gestured at the door. "Leave."

"And I thought you were. . .never mind." Naomi did as he said, slamming the door behind her.

Syaoran wiped his face with his hand. _I should've known that something was wrong the moment Aunt Ming invited those two here_, he thought.

**

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A/N: How'd you guys like it? :)**

**Review, okay?**

**-Yuuki :3**


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